When an interviewer asks, "What's your greatest strength?" you're prepared: you showcase your professional skills and talk about how there's no one better suited for the job. But, "What's your greatest weakness?" The question that often follows can be much tougher to answer.
In asking this, your interviewer is often looking to identify red flags and gauge your self-awareness and honesty. So, "I can't meet a deadline to save my life" is not an option—and neither is "Nothing! I'm perfect!" But a good answer can show a prospective employer how you can overcome challenges, paint you as a committed professional who continues to improve herself, and actually highlight your strengths.
Here are three strategies to ensure that talking about your "weakness" won't be the weak spot in your next interview.
1. Show how you've overcome your weakness.
Everyone has areas that could use improvement, but if you can describe how you've mitigated yours, you will seem strong, capable, and in charge of your professional development. Think of something that you struggle with but are working proactively to improve. For example, you could explain that you've never been strong at public speaking, but over the past few years, you've asked for team leadership roles, successfully run meetings, and found tools to help you be more comfortable when addressing a crowd. Try saying, "though public speaking may never be my strong point, I've found specific ways to overcome my weakness."
Another smart tactic is to describe something that was once a weakness, but that you now can point to as an accomplishment. For example, "I've always had to work hard at math. But I took a course in Excel, and that has helped me tackle quantitative analysis effectively. In fact, let me show you a report I developed in my previous position."
2. Address uncertainties in your background.
If your background doesn't completely match up with the requirements in the job description, or if you know that the employer has hesitations about facets of your experience, this question can be a great time to address those uncertainties. You can talk about something she already knows is a hurdle, but at the same time, turn it around to highlight your strong points. One response could be: "It might seem that my biggest weakness in applying for this position is that I don't have any inside sales experience. But the skills I've gained during my five years of fundraising are incredibly relevant to the position. Let me tell you why."
3. Paint a weakness as a strength.
Choose a shortcoming that can be explained in the most positive light possible. Are you neurotic, stubborn, or incapable of delegating? Instead, try using words that are seen as professional strengths, like dedicated, persistent, or thorough. For example: "I tend to be a perfectionist, so sometimes I have a hard time letting a project leave my hands until it's absolutely finalized." This addresses an area you need to improve, but explains it using a positive trait. Just be sure to follow it up with how you've addressed this "shortcoming" in a professional setting, such as: "But I've found that sometimes it's more effective to get feedback from colleagues along the way, even if it is not yet complete. I always try to strike a balance between getting things done right the first time and being open to input on my work-in-progress projects."
Whatever strategy you choose, the trick is to sound genuine and to end your answer on a positive note. Rehearse your response so that you can give it easily, and more importantly, concisely: if you spend too much time talking about your flaws, it's easy to dig yourself into a hole. Get past the "weakness" part of your answer as quickly as possible so you can get back what's most important: your (many!) strengths.
Adrian Granzella Larssen is an Associate Editor and contributing writer for PYP. She is a marketing communications expert and freelance writer and editor who covers topics related to business, lifestyle, and health. She splits her time between the San Francisco bay area and Washington, DC.
Thanks to PrettyYoungproPessional
http://www.prettyyoungprofessional.com/work/3-ways-to-answer-whats-your-biggest-weakness.html
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